Artist’s Notebook: Meg in her Studio

Visiting the studios is a fascinating opportunity to catch a glimpse of works before they’re gallery-ready, and to see how our artists turn sparks of inspiration into the art you see displayed.

Today, we’re talking to Meg about her studio process; how she organizes her tools and sets up the perfect environment for herself to create art in. If your vision of an artist is of paint-splattered overalls and chaotic jumbles of equipment, read on… you might be surprised!

Meg’s bookshelf altar

Meg in her Studio

I moved to Sedona in late 2016, but it’s taken me months to organize my studio so that I’m ready to start making art again. The environment I work in is really important to me. Setting up a sacred space in which I feel comfortable and safe is essential. Once the ambiance is right, my creative flow happens naturally.

Lots of people have in their minds an image of an artist who works in the midst of chaos. Maybe paint everywhere, tons of unfinished projects, a crazy mess in their work space… kind of like a cook getting all the ingredients out and throwing them all together!

Some artists do work like that, especially people who get into the flow and work with a lot of different tools (like Michael!). But it couldn’t be further from how I like to set up my studio!

Meg Munro’s watercolor studio

Every artist is different

Personally, I’m very organized as an artist – and in most aspects of my life. I don’t do my best work when I’m surrounded by clutter, or when I don’t have the systems I need. It always seems like a waste of time to me to have to search for things; to not know where a tool or a piece of equipment is.

My studio has systems, it’s a very ordered, peaceful place. It gives me the space I need to translate my ideas onto the paper. Maybe that’s connected to how I create my art.

For me, the medium I use – watercolor – is a way for me to express an idea I have. I do a lot of reading: spiritual texts, books about history and culture, even more recently historical novels. I like to research stories and concepts, and the art I make is a way of expressing what I’ve learned.

Meg is organized and ready to make some art!

So it’s not a case of me getting messy with the paint and seeing what comes out of that. I start with an idea, and then figure out how to translate it into visual form. Of course I still use my intuition and instincts as an artist, but I’ll always start with an idea. Then my task is to put that onto paper.

To do that I need to be somewhere quiet and calm, where I have everything I need. That’s the place where my creativity can really flourish.

See our studios for yourself

The beauty of an artist collective like Creative Gateways is that we’re home to many different artists – from tactile experimenters, to meticulous creators. Spending time in our studio and meeting the artists is a wonderful way to experience the breadth of styles and approaches, and talk to the different members of the community about their work.

If you’re interested in what makes people tick, and in exploring ideas to inform your own work style and creative inspiration, why not come by? Take a look at the work spaces and ask us about our current projects: we’d love to meet you!